my blog

I am working with the Monakka Monowar Welfare Foundation MMWF as a drama practitioner and playwright on an oral history theatre project for the Bangladeshi community in London. The theatre production will be performed in January 2013 by young people between 18-25 years old. The production is based on the oral testimonies of 20 young people about their experiences of growing up between two cultures, Bangladeshi and English.

The Monakka Monowar Welfare Foundation MMWF aims to create a sense of community cohesion in Tower Hamlets and surrounding areas, and to empower communities at risk of social exclusion by providing support, training and opportunities, to ensure that individuals have the resources to sustain social and economic well-being, active participation and engagement.

For further information about the Monakka Monowar Welfare Foundation MMWF, go to http://www.mmwf.org

In December, I am going to India for one month to research and make a film about Anandwan.

The film will tell remarkable and moving personal stories of people whose lives have been transformed by Anandwan. This inspiring community was founded more than 50 years ago by the Amte family as a home for people with leprosy in Central India, and has pioneered the medical treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients.

Today Anandwan is home to 5,000 residents. These include leprosy patients and their families, visually and hearing impaired children who receive an education there, physically and mentally disabled people, as well as volunteers.

Anandwan empowers each individual to live a productive and full life, and as a result is almost self sufficient in food and services. Residents are taught practical skills to contribute towards the community and earn a livelihood. Anandwan welcomes people from all over India who have been rejected by their societies and restores their dignity and self-respect. The film will feature members of the Amte family about the origins and growth of Anandwan until the present day, people who have lived in Anandwan for many decades, young people who have arrived more recently, as well as volunteers who have dedicated their lives to the community. This film will capture the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit and portray an inspiring social model where the most vulnerable members of a society are respected, cared for and valued. For further information about Anandwan, click here.